Mardi Gras Sizzles Up the Gulf Coast

by George Alexander

Mardi Gras is like that day that you say "I'm going to start my diet tomorrow." If Ash Wednesday signals the start of a month of restricted indulgence for Lent, then Mardi Gras -- or Fat Tuesday -- is the day when Gulf Coast revelers from New Orleans to Pensacola, Florida live it up with an abundance of good food, good drink and a good 'ole party. If you can't get down to the coast for the fun, let the good times roll wherever you are with these delicious recipes. Laissez les bon temps rouler!


Celebrate Mardi Gras!

Mobile's Most Original Dish

Mardi Gras Omelet

Though New Orleanians may protest, Mobile has the distinction of being the first city in America to celebrate Mardi Gras. And Naomi Mauer, proprietor of My Victorian Bed and Breakfast, is the first to present this new take on an old-time favorite. Her Mardi Gras Omelet includes the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple, gold and green and is perfect for refueling after a night of revelry.


Mardi Gras in Mobile

New Orleans' Most Original Dish

Shrimp Gillade

The Crescent City hosts America's biggest Mardi Gras celebration, often dubbed 'America's Greatest Party' with its hundreds of thousands of revelers. New Orleans native Wayne Baquet expects his new dish, Shrimp Gillade, to be a big hit at his restaurant 'Lil Dizzy's for all the visiting party goers. "We're already selling twenty to thirty orders a day," he says. "People just love it!"


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Pensacola's Most Original Dish

Grits A Ya Ya

Pensacola has sandy white beaches, a festive Mardi Gras beach parade and some of the best shrimp and crab in the world. Mardi Gras in Pensacola just wouldn't be the same without some good down home seafood dishes. Jim Shirley, executive chef of The Fish House, concurs. That's why he created Grits A Ya Ya. The name is derived from the Cajun belief that food can be so good it makes you say, "Ya-Ya!"


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    Biloxi's Most Original Dish

    Mardi Gras Crawfish Pasta

    Biloxi was the first city on the Mississippi Coast to host Mardi Gras. For folks along this part of the Gulf, it's all about crawfish. Rob Spinson, who owns Lookout 49, the first restaurant to open on the Mississippi coast after Katrina, attributes his Creole culinary skills to the late Nathanial Burton of New Orleans, also known as the 'Godfather of Creole Food.' Looking for a special dish to celebrate carnival this year, Spinson created the spicy Mardi Gras Crawfish Pasta, completely outfitted in the Mardi Gras colors of purple, gold and green. This dish makes a fine tribute to the Godfather of Creole.


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